Peter Emery, CEO of Electricity North West, said: “Setting world-leading ambitions is incredibly encouraging and we look forward to seeing more detail of the world-leading actions that will get us there.

“As a network operator, we are well underway with delivering the plans that will take us to our own region’s ambitious net zero targets. Just last week, we announced plans to invest nearly £2bn this decade in preparing the electricity infrastructure to handle the huge shift to lower carbon technologies that will be necessary in the years to come.

“With similar commitment from government – in ambition, investment and regulatory support – announcements like this could help put the UK at the forefront of the green industrial revolution.”